Categories

Welcome to the 2017 MMA Smarties Awards, the world’s only global mobile marketing awards program honoring innovation, creativity, and success. In order for your entry to be as simple and successful as possible, we have refined our 2017 categories to be: Marketing Objective, Media, and Technology. Additionally, this year the MMA, in partnership with WARC will be launching the first-ever Business Impact Index. The
Smarties Index will identify, rank and award the marketing industry's agencies, marketers and brands that are delivering the highest level of business impact by analyzing finalist and winner data from all the Smarties programs around the world. The Index provides an insightful glimpse into who is actually delivering campaigns that create significant impact across the globe.

Based on this, we have adjusted our judging criteria as follows:

Creative: 20%
Strategy: 20%
Execution: 20%
Business Impact: 40%

While achieving the above touchstones are instrumental to success, it is critical to remember that across all entries in all categories, the work must have mobile at its core. To be certain of this, it may help to ask yourself “If we were to remove mobile from this idea/execution, would it still work?”

One more tip: in order to increase your chances of winning, consider entering your work in multiple categories and across regions.

We are thrilled for this year's program and are looking forward to seeing how you have pushed the practice forward!

Marketing Objective

Brand Awareness

Brand growth, development and enrichment. These components are critical to a successful brand awareness campaign as well as establishing brand recognition and familiarity with your customers. Please showcase how your campaign has achieved any or all of these components.

Lead Generation/Direct Response/Conversions

A great lead generation campaign will expertly use mobile to directly impact sales, conversions, trial or purchase intent. It can also be quite powerful prior to any transaction(s) if the mobile campaign attracts a good amount of prospective customers that are primed for future engagement and sales. Please showcase how your campaign has achieved either (or both).

Product/Services Launch

Your campaign launched or re-launched a product or service with mobile at the heart, delivering measurable success. Please be specific as to what made this launch effective, along with the role mobile played in the process.

Promotion

A promotion can range from contests and coupons to special offers, sweepstakes and POS/Merchandising. Demos, coupons, exhibitions/trade shows, games, special offers (and more) are also fair game for this category. Please be very specific in demonstrating how your campaign specifically changed buyer behavior.

Relationship Building/CRM

Keeping the customers you have is already tough. Increasing their loyalty is another thing altogether. But that’s what CRM is all about - building and managing customer relationships. This category is for the best examples of how mobile can be the cornerstone to those relationships.

Social Impact/Not-For-Profit

Driving social change - from the palm of your hand. Or your tablet. Or some other mobile device. The point is, campaigns for not-for-profits or government agencies are now more powerful than ever because mobile makes them accessible to everyone. This category is for best in class campaigns that create significant social change or deliver against a public service.

Media

Cross Media

This category utilizes mobile as a core strategy, along with one or more separate channels to round out the campaign. This could include: TV, print, radio, outdoor, PR, direct marketing, etc.

Cross Mobile Integration

This category is for campaigns integrating a minimum of 3 mobile applications or mediums (i.e. apps, mobile web, messaging, video, display, search, etc.). We are looking for campaigns that hit the above marks, and are strategically customized for each experience.

Marketing within a Mobile Gaming Environment

Successful marketing within a gaming environment that isn’t the app or game itself requires a balance of subtlety and ingenuity. If your campaign strikes that balance, this is the category for you. If you have a branded gaming app, please submit to the Mobile App category.

Messaging

This category focuses on the use of SMS/MMS to brilliantly bring a marketing campaign to life. Examples could include (but are not limited to): activation of marketing programs, customer acquisition, engagement and conversion.

Mobile App

Any application that provides information, entertainment, productivity or utility for the customer. Mobile App can be part of a broader marketing strategy or a stand-alone brand experience. Both short-term apps for a specific moment in time as well as longer term apps are eligible for this category.

Mobile Native

An ad that follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed can be especially impactful. This category celebrates the best examples of native mobile - both display and video.

Mobile Search

Current research indicates that 4 out of 10 people conduct their searches exclusively on mobile during a typical day. This category showcases the ever-important campaigns that have search at their core.

Mobile Social

Social can include networks (think Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.), person-to-person (i.e. Skype, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp etc.). Of course, all work must be focused on the mobile platform.

Mobile Website

A website designed specifically for the smaller screen that is both thoughtful and delivers an enhanced user experience - no matter the objective. From products and brands to companies and services, we are looking for the best in mobile web that is not an app.

Technology

Innovation

For this category, innovation in mobile marketing can come from two different places: Groundbreaking/new technologies or an unconventional/creative use of existing technology.

Due to its exploratory nature, this category will have less weight on results than the others - that doesn’t mean though that you shouldn’t include the impact to your current business or potential shifts it will create for your future marketing efforts.

Location Based Services or Targeting

Connecting to customers with the most relevant message when and where they are most likely to act with location based targeting is a marketer’s dream. Easier said than done? This category can include one-off executions or longer term campaigns but must include specifics on impact against your marketing goals.

Mobile Payments/Commerce

Transactions via mobile have become much easier to navigate, more beautiful in their design, and way more trustworthy. This category exhibits the best examples of mobile commerce that can be an app and/or native mobile capabilities.

Mobile Video

Mobile is quickly ascending as the dominant screen for video consumption. It’s nuanced and intimate and is proven to yield impressive results as the most effective storytelling platform, despite the small screen. The formula for success is far more complicated than a 30 second spot but also offers greater opportunities. Show us your best in class, most impactful mobile video campaigns!

VR/AR *NEW*

Technologies such as virtual reality and computer generated content in combination with live video have pushed the boundaries of creativity in mobile. This category flaunts the most immersive and/or interactive brand experiences using this technology.

*Please note that due to its nascent stage, this category will have less weight on results than the others. However, that doesn’t mean you should exclude the impact to your current business or potential shifts it will create for your future marketing efforts.

360 Degree Video *NEW*

It’s hard to argue with the immersive power of 360 video to engage viewers. Because the medium is already captivating by nature, we are looking for the most creative uses for this category.

*Please note that due to its nascent stage, this category will have less weight on results than the others. However, that doesn’t mean you should exclude the impact to your current business or potential shifts it will create for your future marketing efforts.

Mobile Audio

Any campaign that demonstrates how the experience of audio techniques, be it music, voice or other sound (audio advertising), was used in a mobile environment to create consumer demand and engagement.

The Internet of Things - Products in Market

By definition, The Internet of Things is composed of any technology, device or wearable that sends and receives data via the mobile driven internet. For this category, we are looking for products that are out in the market right now. To increase your chances to win a Smarties, please submit the actual product.
*Please note that due to its nascent stage, this category will have less weight on results than the others. However, that doesn’t mean you should exclude the impact to your current business or potential shifts it will create for your future marketing efforts.

The Internet of Things - Products in Prototype/Incubator Stage

By definition, The Internet of Things is composed of any technology, device or wearable that sends and receives data via the mobile driven internet. For this category, we are looking for products that exist as a prototype or are in an incubator stage. To increase your chances to win a Smarties, please submit the actual prototype or illustrate very clearly its design and functionality.
*Please note that due to its nascent stage, this category will have less weight on results than the others - that doesn’t mean though that you shouldn’t include the impact to your current business or potential shifts it will create for your future marketing efforts.

Awards

Smarties awards are presented as follows:

Category Award Winners – Gold, Silver, Bronze
Best In Show – Winner is selected from the gold winners of each category
Industry Awards – The best-of-the-best in the mobile marketing industry. Winners will have a direct impact in the growth of the industry and are chosen by MMA Board Members

Judging Criteria

Submissions are considered according to:

Strategy (20%): Please provide an explanation of why you believe your entry satisfies the criteria for the category entered. Judges look for information and understanding of the business and/or marketing challenge along with a solid mobile strategy. Please ensure your submission references research, creativity, demographic targets, technologies leveraged as well as other strategic considerations for the campaign.

Context – is the first year of campaign? If not how has your strategy adapted to previous results and new technology?

Execution (20%): Please provide an explanation of how the campaign was implemented and its level of success.

Consider these questions:

How did the execution or enabling technology help achieve results?

How was the mobile component or enabling technology integrated into the overall marketing strategy?

How creative or sophisticated was the campaign in its use of mobile media?

What did the mobile channel or enabling technology bring to the overall campaign that other marketing channels missed?

How was the mobile channel or enabling technology matched to specific markets, demographics relevant to the overall campaign execution?

What percent of the campaign budget went to mobile?

How well was mobile technology leveraged?

Was the campaign compliant with MMA guidelines and best practices? And, what impact did the campaign have on the market?

Creativity (20%): Criteria such as consumer engagement, unique use of mobile media types, creativity dynamics and integration with overall campaign will be considered. Samples of marketing materials and case studies should be provided and must be received at the time of submission to be considered with the application. We strongly encourage submitting video please note, it must be hosted by a third party. Please make it as easy as possible for judges to experience the creative as originally intended.

Creative Samples Guidelines:

Active URL to landing page or FTP site with links to each creative element of the campaign; or multiple active URLs (separate each URL with a comma). If providing links, please make sure sites are live. Broken links are grounds for disqualification.

Not required but strongly recommended: A short (2-3 minute) case study video, or brief written case (2 pages maximum) study that captures the creative and actual interactive experience.

Creative Video Guidelines:
You cannot upload video directly to the submission form. Creative samples must be accessible via URL or they cannot be viewed or scored by the judges.

Recommended formats:

Youtube (embedded video or direct link) or video provided by vimeo, Brightcove, or other embedded means.

Flash video (embedded within a creative URL)

Quicktime (.mov or m4v)

Business Impact (40%): Each submission must include qualitative and quantitative data to support claims of success.

Consider these questions:

Did the campaign achieve its objectives and goals?

What impact did the campaign have on the market, if any?

How innovative was the campaign?

What impact did the campaign or enabling technology have on future utilization of mobile in their business?

How did consumers receive the campaign? Note: information entered here will be kept confidential to MMA staff and judges and will not be shared publicly unless express consent is received from the key point of contact for this submission.

Calculate a figure for return on investment (based on sales, profit, etc.).

New Judging Criteria

Due to its exploratory nature, the following categories will have less
weight on results than the others - that doesn’t mean though that you shouldn’t include the
impact to your current business or potential shifts it will create for your future marketing efforts.

Innovation: For this category, innovation in mobile marketing can come from two different
places: Groundbreaking/new technologies or an unconventional/creative use of existing
technology.

The Internet of Things: composed of any technology, device or wearable that sends and
receives data via the mobile driven internet.
(1) Products in Market - for this category, we are looking for products that are out in the market
right now. To increase your chances to win a Smarties, please submit the actual product.
(2) Products in Prototype/Incubator Stage - for this category, we are looking for products that
exist as a prototype or are in an incubator stage. To increase your chances to win a Smarties,
please submit the actual prototype or illustrate very clearly its design and functionality.

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About

The MMA is the world’s leading global non-profit trade association comprised of more than 800 member companies, from nearly fifty countries around the world. MMA Member companies hail from every faction of the mobile media ecosystem. Our consortium includes brand marketers, agencies, enabling technologies, media companies and others. The MMA’s mission is to accelerate the transformation and innovation of marketing through mobile, driving business growth with closer and stronger consumer engagement.